Car-fender.



No. 855,558. PATENTED JUNE 4, 1907.

- 1. H. GALIGA.

OAR FENDER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16, 1907.

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CAR-FENDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4, 1907.

Application fil d February l6 1907. Serial No. 357,616.

To a whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC HENRY CALIGA, a citizen of the United States, residing in Salem, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Car-Fenders, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to fenders especially designed and adapted for use on the cars of electric street railways, and has for its object to provide a simple and efficient device for the purpose specified. To this end the fender is provided with a substantially open frame, preferably triangular in shape, which is practically closed by a yielding covering, such as a netting of rope, wire or other suitable material, and with which co-operate substantially upright sides of like material, the said sides co-operating with the said covering to forma pocket or rece tacle, which is open at its top and into whic persons or objects may be deposited and retained when struck by the fender. The su porting frame for the netting may and prefiirably is composed of parts movable with relation to each other, so as to permit them to be folded together when not in use, as will be described. These and other features of this invention will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this specificationj Figure 1 represents a sufficient portion of an electric car provided with a fender embodying this invention. Fig. 2, a front elevation of a portion of a car with the fender folded up against the dasher. Fig. 3, a front elevation on an enlarged scale of the fender shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4, a plan view of the fender shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5, a side elevation of Fig. 4 looking toward the right, and Fig. 6, a section on the line 66, Fig. 4.

The fender herein shown as embodying this invention is provided with a supporting frame, which comprises essentially a substantially horizontal member, a substantially vertical member, and an inclined member, all of which may be of metal rods, or other suit able material.

The horizontal member is preferably made substantially triangular in shape, and consists of the sides a, I), joined at the apex of the triangle'a'nd having their rear ends inturned to form pivots e, for the substantially upright member which may be made approximately oblong in shape as herein represented (see Fig. 3) and comprises the to rod 6, bottom rod f and side rods g, h. The orizontal member may be pivoted to the lower portion of the 11 right member in any suit able manner, anc in the present instance, the bottom rod f has secured to it metal eyes j into which the pivots c extend, (see Fig. 4). The inclined member of the supporting frame may be made as herein shown and consists of a narrower triangular frame comprising the side rods 10, 12 and connecting base rod 13, and a forked apex 14, which latter is pivoted at 16 (see Fig. 6) to a projection 17 on a cross bar 18 secured to the slde bars a, I) of the horizontal member near the apex of the same.

The inclined member may be elevated at its rear end and supported from the top rod 0 of the upright frame, or it may be detachably fastened by suitable devices as clips 20 to a cross bar 21 of the upright member. The horizontal member may be reinforced by a cross bar or rod 23 and inclined rods 24, connecting said cross rod with the side rods a, I), (see Fig. 4).

The supporting frame thus far described has secured to it suitable material to form a substantially triangular shaped pocket or receptacle, which is open at its top and is closed at its bottom and sides. The bottom of the pocket referred to, may be made of netting of cordage, rope, spiral springs, or other material which will yield to the weight of a person or object, and yet support the same, and in the present instance said bottom is represented as made of netting 30, which is fastened by the cord 31 or in other suitable manner to the top bar or rod e of the upright frame or member, while its sides are fastened in a similar manner to the side rods or bars a, I), of the horizontal member, the said bottom being extended downwardly from the top bar or rod 0 over the sides 10, 12 of the inclined member of the frame. The sides of the pocket are made by the nettings 33, 34, which are made substantially like a right angle triangle with the horizontal edges secured to the sides a, b of the horizontal member of the frameand the vertical edges secured to the sides 9, h of the upright member. edges of the side nettings 33, 34, incline downward from the upright member of the frame toward the apex of the horizontal member, where they are secured to a short upright 40 erected upon the cross bar 18.

In operation, the fender may be attached to the car 41 by hanging the upright member The upper on the dasher 42, or by securing the horizonin"combination, a supporting frame, comtal member to suitable supports below the car platform in a manner similar to that now commonly practiced. In the event of a person or object being struck by the fender, the person or object will be either forced laterally oil of the track by the inclined side rods a, b of the horizontal frame and the yielding sides of the pocket, or if the person falls backward onto the fender, he or she will be deposited on the yielding bottom of the pocket and will be retained in said pocket by the sides of the same. It will be observed that the yielding side walls of the pocket are much lower near the front of the fender, so that small persons or children if struck when at or near the center of the track will be picked up by the fender and deposited in the pocket. The yielding bottom and side walls of the pocket serve to break the force of the blow imparted to the person, and the yielding sides of the pocket may be made sufficiently taut, so as to rebound somewhat and thereby act to throw or project a person in a lateral direction and off of the track. When the fender is not in use, the clips 20 may be disengaged from the bar 13, thereby leaving the inclined member free to drop down over the cross bar f, after which the horizontal member may be turned on its pivots 0 into an upright position against the upright member as represented in Fig. 2, in which position it may be secured in any suitable manner. So also if desired, the upright member may be disengaged from the dasher and turned down on the horizontal member and the fender thus folded may be pushed under the platform of the car after the manner now commonly practiced, or said fender may have the members of the supporting frame rigidly secured together, so that the fender may be transferred from one end of the car to the other, if it is desired to use only one fender on a car.

I have hereindescribed the fender in connection with electric railway cars, but it is not desired to limit the invention in this respect, as it may be made sufficiently strong to be used on locomotives. So also I may prefer to make the bottom and sides of the pocket of netting, but I do not desire to limit my invention in this respect, as other yielding materials may be used, such as canvas, spiral springs, etc.

i; Claims. 1. In a fender of the character described,

prising a substantially triangular horizontal member, a substantially vertical member pivotally connected with said horizontal member, an inclined member pivoted to the horizontal member near the front thereof and extended upward toward said upright member, means to secure said inclined member in a stationary position, a netting secured to said upright member and to said horizontal member to form the bottom of a pocket or receptacle, and nettings secured to said upright member and to said horizontal member to form upright sides of said pocket or receptacle, substantially as described.

2. In a fender of the character described, in combination, a supporting frame provided with a substantially triangular horizontal member and with an upright member, means secured to said upright member and to said horizontal member to form the bottom of a pocket or receptacle, and means secured to said members to form substantially upright side walls of said pocket or-receptacle, substantially as described.

3. In a fender of the character described, in combination, a supporting frame provided with a substantially triangular horizontal member, and with a substantially upright member pivotally connected with said horizontal member, and flexible means secured to said members to form a pocket or receptacle open at its top and substantially closed at its sides and bottom, substantially as de scribed.

4. In a fender of the character described, in combination, a supporting frame, and means secured to said frame to form a substantially triangular pocket open at its top and substantially closed at its sides and bottom, substantially as described.

5. In a fenderof the character described, in combination, a supporting frame, and means secured to said frame to form a substantially triangular pocket open at its top and closed at its sides and bottom, said sides having downwardly inclined converging upper edges, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ISAAC HENRY OALIGA.

Witnesses:

JAS. H. CHURCHILL, J. MURPHY. 

